A gentle touch on half-a-dozen packets turned up one from docking authority. She hopped over it and reached out to find another, and another after that. Following the packets like a trail of pebbles, Dobbs found the central data hold for the docking information. She cast around her, searching for anything about the Pasadena.
Two.
A packet opened under her probing. Pasadena was still in dock 43, waiting on the Management Union escort ship. There was no evidence that anyone had tried to violate the impound conditions.
Impound? Dobbs squirmed and resisted the urge to search for more information. She didn’t have time. She just had to get to Al Shei and tell her what was happening.
She sped towards the Pasadena. Behind her, she felt the data stream grow choppy. There was somebody back there. She didn’t reach out to find out who it was, she just kept on going in the straightest line available.
“Dobbs, what are you doing?” It was Verence.
Dobbs didn’t slow down. “I’m going to warn someone that we’re about to start a full-scale war.”
For a split second there was no motion behind her. Then, a weight fell against her, pressing her down to the blurry wall of the path. “Dobbs you can’t do this!”
Dobbs strained against Verence’s grip. “There are ten dead bodies in that module, Verence!” She rolled over sharply and found Verence’s outer edge. She yanked herself free and flew forward. “How many Humans have you helped kill?”
Three.
Verence was back there, and gaining. If I stop to warn Al Shei, she’ll have me cornered.
A major junction of fifty separate paths opened around her. Dobbs stopped dead in the middle of it.
“Go home, Verence. Tell Curran what I’m doing. Hear what he says. I bet he wants me dead.”
“Dobbs, stop this,” said Verence patiently. “You’ve had a shock, I know. It’s not easy to accept what we’ve had to do. But this is temporary. When we’ve made our peace… ”
“Temporary?” Dobbs prickled angrily. “That’s what the Guild always says. This is temporary, until Humans stop being so frightened. They’ve waited two hundred years for their plan to work. How long is yours going to take?”
“Dobbs, that is not the issue.” Verence touched her, but Dobbs held herself closed.
“This is not going to work, Verence. If we attack, the Humans are just going to do what they’ve always done. They’ll shred the networks trying to get to us.”
Verence pulled back a fraction. “You’re going to the Guild aren’t you?”
Dobbs clenched herself tight. “And if I am? What are you going to do?”
She could feel Verence stretching, looking for an opening, any way to get inside her. “You can’t go back to the Guild! They’re willing to kill our own kind just to stay alive!”
“And you’re willing to kill Human Beings for the same reason!” Dobbs shouted. “I can’t believe these are the only two choices!”
Verence pressed against her outer layers. “What if they are?”
“Then I’m not sure survival is worth it.” Dobbs pulled away. Slowly, deliberately, she picked the path that led toward the Pasadena and started down it.
Verence did not follow. Dobbs kept on going and wished she had her eyes back so she could cry.
Four.
She bumped over the interface into the Pasadena’s network. The familiar, cramped paths surrounded her. Memory flinched inside, reminding her of everything she’d already lost. She forced herself to concentrate on where she was going. The space was so limited, it didn’t take long to find Al Shei’s cabin and the intercom paths.
She found the diaphragm module and circled it. Given time, she could probably figure out how to work it, but there was no time. Verence could have already told Curran she had run away, and her body must have been found by now. By staying in the station, she was risking being caught, but Al Shei had to know what was happening. Al Shei deserved know. Dobbs sorted through the paths until she found the one to Al Shei’s desk. There wasn’t room for all of her down in the desk’s paths, but part of her would fit. She could at least reach the command codes and get them working to formulate a message.
Lipinski stood in the middle of Al Shei’s cabin and spread his hands. “I’ve run every search I know. I’ve called in favors with a couple of the security greens that have been owing for years. I’m sorry, Al Shei, but Dobbs is not aboard this station any more.”
He was hurting, Al Shei could tell. He had liked Dobbs and now he didn’t understand what was happening with her or around her. Al Shei knew all this, but she couldn’t find it in herself to explain what was going on.
“All right, Houston, all right.” She waved her hand tiredly. “I know you did your best.
Movement caught her eye through the open hatch. Schyler peered in.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’ll come back.”
“No, that’s all right.” Lipinski turned to leave. “There’s nothing else I can do here.”
Al Shei watched him leave. She bit back a sigh and didn’t bow her head. Schyler just nodded to the Houston as he passed, but his face was concerned.
“What is it, Watch?” asked Al Shei.
Schyler let the hatch cycle shut. “Actually,” he stuffed both hands in his pockets, “I came to ask you that question.” He jerked his chin toward the hatch. “I’ve got fourteen very worried crewmembers out there. Nobody’s left yet, but they’re going to if we don’t say what’s going on and why we aren’t doing anything about it.”
Al Shei rubbed her palms slowly together. “Well, if they want to leave, that’s their right. I’m sure the Management Union will supply us with a crew if we need one.”
Schyler sat down on the corner of the bunk. “Mother, are you going to talk to me? Resit says you won’t even speak to her about what’s happening. Not even after prayer.”
What am I going to say? That Asil has vanished? That Curran or the Fools have him, but I can’t prove it? I can’t even start to look for him because I threw Dobbs off the ship, and that she’s already left the station and I’ve got no way to find out where she went?
“Mother.” Schyler leaned forward. “Let me help you.”
She shook her head. “There’s nothing to be done.”
He sighed heavily and glanced all around the room. When his eyes focused on her again, there was determination in them. “I’ve talked to Yerusha. I know about Dobbs.”
Al Shei’s head jerked back. Her heart filled her throat, leaving her no room to force through words.
“Is now really the time to turn away your family?” Schyler asked softly. “Now is when we need each other. All of us. Listen, there’s twenty-four hours until the Management Union gets here. I think I can get you on board a fast freight to Earth. You’ll beat us down by at least two days. You can find out what’s happening with Asil. You can talk to your Uncle face-to-face, get the word out without needing to use the lines.”
Al Shei said nothing. Schyler had obviously also been talking to Resit. But even Resit didn’t know the whole story. She didn’t know Asil had been taken by the AIs. Yesterday I would have jumped at the chance to get back early. Today, I don’t know what good it’d do.
The silence stretched on, and Al Shei realized Schyler was prepared to wait for her to break it. They’d played this scene out only a few times in the past, and it always turned out that he could wait until the Judgement Day, while she had to do something.
The desk beeped and Al Shei jumped. No voice followed the signal, but a stream of text spilled across the memory board.